Electric oven



Feb. 11, 1947. H, N SHAW 2,415,768

ELECTRIC OVEN `Fled Oct. 5, 1942 Y 2 Sheets-Sheet l I 'TLIEQTJFST 20 A TTOR NEYQS.- /a Y Feb. 11, 1947.

H. N. sHAw ELECTRIC OVEN Filed Oct. 5, 1942 l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ........,.......H..H.H...H.M.H.

Patented Feb. 11, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC OVEN Harold N. Shaw, Erie, Pa.

Application October 5, 1942, Serial No. 460,737

(Cl. 21S-35) Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in electric heating and more particularly to heating for use in the cooking of food products.

Heretofore, in electric cooking devices such as griddles, the heating surface has been at least five-sixteenths of an inch thick with a relatively7 heavy heating unit associated therewith. Where the heating element is cast into .the heating surface, a heavy cast metal plate is required. In other types of uni'ts where the heating elements are clamped in position, a heavy rigid plate is required for the heating surface to insure good heat conduction between the heating elements and the plate. The heating elements employed are generally of the enclosed strip or rod type or are radiant-l coils. In any event, the thick metal heating surfaces which have heretofore been considered necessary, are objectionable because they take too long to heat up, and in restaurants must be kept at frying heat between periods of use in order to avoid delays. As a result the cost of operation is excessive.

Prior practices in the manufacture of electric ovens with a heated lining have also been unsatisfactory because with strip heaters or other conventional type heating elements clamped to the top and bottom of the oven, the heat stored in the relatively heavy heating elements causes such wide variations in temperature that close control of baking heat and the maintenance of a uniform temperature throughout the oven has not been possible. As a result there has been no way of automatically controlling the uniform browning of baked products. Furthermore, in commercial electric baking ovens there is usually a heavy tile or brick hearth at; the bottom with Wire heating elements below the hearth and also under the top of the oven. The bottom elements radiate heat to the under side of the hearth and also heat the air which circulates around the sides of the hearth. The top elements radiate heat on the product being baked while the prod- Vuct is generally resting on the tile hearth. The

principal reason for using a tile hearth in an oven is to obtain a hat uniformly heated surface. However, the slow heating of the heavy tile hearth and the lack of automatic control for the top heat are objectionable.

t is a, principal object of the present invention to provide an electrically heated device wherein a relatively thin metal plate can be employed successfully for the surface to be heated, and wherein the heat distribution and the control thereof is such that unequal heating, which would 2 normally cause buckling of e, thin metal plate is prevented.

A further object of the invention is to provide an electrically heated device of the type described, including hoods for enclosing the heating elements and holding the latter against a surface of Jthe cooking plate, the hoods being so arranged and secured in position'as to provide a desired heat distribution both by heat radiated from .the heating elements and also by heat conducted directly to the cooking plate from the hoods.

A further object of the invention is .to provide a plate forming a heating surface and having one or more flanges on the edges thereof, there being means for directly heating said ilanges to compensate for the cooling effect of air adjacen the edges of the heating surface.

A further object is to provide a device as above described wherein the hoods for the heating elements are in the form of sheet metal enclosures, said enclosures having ilanges in contact with the 'heating plate and spot or seam welded to the lplate at points intermediate the heating elements :so as to conduct heat to the plate through the prevent temperature variation between interior portions of the plate and edge portions thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide an electrically heated device including elongated heating elements together with means for reducing the heat radiated from those portions of the elements intermediate the length thereof.

poses which is light in weight to facilitate shipment and installation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a heating device which is particularly adapted to utilize the light-weight hairpin type of element disclosed in my prior Patent No. 2,265,549, dated December 9, 1941.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improvements in electric heating, and all its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating several embodiments or" the preferred iorrn of the invention, in which the same reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views,

Fig. i is a cross-sectional View or a griddle embodying features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through an oven and oven door showing the improved heating device installed in the top and bottom oi the oven;

Fig. l is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line l-l of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a modied form of heating unit wherein the heating elements are arranged on edge in the hoods and wherein there is a corrugated heating surface. This arrangement is particularly adapted for use in oil heaters or fry kettles where a large corrugated heating surface is desirable;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 5, illustrating a modiiication of the design of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a bottom view of the heating device of Fig. l, parts being broken away;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 'l illustrating a modiied arrangement wherein two heating elements are installed in each hood with the inner ends spaced apart to reduce the heating effect in the center;

Fig. 9 is a plan View cn'an enlarged scale of one of the heating elements of Fig. 7 removed from the hood, parts being broken away;

Fig. 10 is a sectional View on an enlarged scale taken on line io-ic of Fig. 9;

Fig. l1 is a fragmentary cross-sectional View of a heating device showing a modied hood arrangement; and

Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the electric circuit to the top and bottom plates of the oven of Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to Figs. l and 2 of the drawings illustrating a griddle arrangement, the numeral i5 designates a metal plate or surface to be heated having a front downwardly bent flange l5 and downwardly bent side flanges il and it?. Any number of griddle sections may be installed side by side, and the numeral i9 designates the surface to be heated of a second griddle section. At the back of the griddle section the plate i5 may be bent upwardly, as at and equipped with a rear guard flange 2li. rlhe plate i5 is formed of relatively thin sheet metal. Heretofore griddle plates have been at least five-sixteenths of an inch thick. With the present invention it is practical to utilize plates having a thickness of between one-sixteenth and oneeighth of an inch.

Secured to the bottom of the plate l is a sheet 22 of metal having a plurality of spaced and approximately parallel depressions 532 pressed therein. These depressions are substantially U- shaped in cross-section and form hoods or end closures for heating elements 23. The heating elements are of the type illustrated in Figs. 9 and l@ and disclosed in my prior patent No. 2,265,549, dated December 9, i941. These elongated heating elements may be threaded into the open ends of the hoods 22 and require no additional securing means.

Referring to Fig. 9, each heating element comprises a reversely bent heating element section Eil having parallel sections 25 and 2B. These sections are separated from one another by longitudinal insulator segments 2l, and between each pair of insulator segments 2l are holding members of refractory material. These elements are light in weight and flexible and may be readily installed in the hoods and then connected in sewith one another by the wires 29, as shown in Fig. '7.

An important feature of the present invention resides in the fact that the hood-forming sheet El is secured to the cooking plate i5 by welds 39. These welds are located in rows approximately midway between the hoods as shown in Fig. 7. lne welding may be spot welding, seam welding, or arc welding, or the connection may be by means of brazing or soldering. As a result of this arrangement the plate i5 is heated partly by radiation from the heating elements and partly by heat conducted from the hoods through the welds. approximately half of the heat is radiated to the enclosing hoods, and this heat is in turn conducted to the plate through the welded areas.

In lieu or the continuous sheet ill formed with a plurality of parallel hoods or corrugations 22, each hood may be a separate member with the side ilanges oi one hood abutting the side flanges of adjacent hoods. In this case the adjacent edges oi the ilanges may be seam welded to the plate ill or there may be a row of spot welding, such as the spot welding 3e along each flange edge. In any event, the welding is approximately intermediate the hoods. Thus the portions of the plate i5 which are not directly over the heating elements are heated by conduction through the welds, and the portions of the plate i5 directly over the heating elements and hoods are heated by radiation. As a result uniformity of heat distribution is promoted making it practical to employ relatively thin metal for the plate i5, Il heating were not uniform, then buckling of the plate would be likely to occur unless thicker metal were employed. Thicker metal, however, takes too long to heat up, and a principal object of the present invention is to provide a practical construction for utilizing a thin plate that can be quickly heated.

Referring again to the griddle of Fig. 1, the exposed side flange il, as well as the region of the plate l5 adjacent to said flange, is more subject to the cooling effect of the outside air than are intermediate portions of the plate. In View of the importance of obtaining even heat distribution where thin metal is employed for the plate lli, novel means is employed to compensate for the extra heat loss near exposed edges. One method of compensating for this loss is to have an additional hood 'di positioned adjacent the inner side of the flange il. This hood 3i may be a continuation of the hood-forming member 2l of Fig. 1 or maybe separately formed. The hood 3i is connected to the plate it by the welding to and is connected rto the flange il by additional welding 32. This hood is arranged to accommodate one of the heating elements 23 With the element positioned at right angles to the other elements 23 below the plate i5.

As an addi-tional method of compensating for heat losses near exposed edges, the hoods 22 near the exposed edge or the plate 5 may be placed closer together than the hoods 22 which are located farther inwardly. It is found that to obtain best heat distribution and the best compensation for loss of heat near exposed edges, that a combination of these two features is most emcient. Accordingly the griddle of Fig, 1 utilizes the close spacing of fthe hoods 22' and also the additional hood 3| and heating element adjacent the flange l1.

The above methods provide compensation for heat losses on the edges which extend parallel to the hoods and the elements. It is also desirable to provide compensation in a direction at right angles. With the present invention this accomplished by limiting the amount of heat in the center of each heating element and by subjecting the plate portions above the ends of each heating element to the maximum amount of heat.

Referring to Figs. 9 and l0, there are shunt Wires 33 Welded as at 34S to the heating element channels and 2E. These shunt wires serve to increase the cross-section of the element and to rthus decrease the amount of heat. developed in the center of the element. rThis can be accomplished by any method of increasing the crosssectional size of the heating element, It is to be noted that the shunt wires are located intermediate the length of each heating element so that approximately one-third of the length of each heating element on one end and one-'third on the opposite end is free of the shunt wires.

Another method of decreasing the amount of heat intermediate the length of the heating elements is illustrated in Fig. 8. In this form of the invention instead of one full length heating element in each hood there are two short heating elements 35 and 36, with their inner ends spaced apart intermediate the length of the hoods. With this arrangement the elements 35 must be electrically connected at one side as at 37, and the elements 3e must be electrically connected on the other side as at 33.

It is also practical to install additional heating elements and hoods, such as the hoods 3| along the flanges it which extend at right angles to the flange I1.

In all forms of the invention the hocdform ing member 2| must be thick enough to conduct heat from the elements to the welds without undue temperature rise in the hoods, and Vthe plate l5 must be thiol: enough to distribute the conducted and radiated heat without excessive temperature variations between different areas on the plate. When the heat input is high, the plate I6 and hood-forming member 2| must be thicker than when the heat input is low.

It is to be noted from Fig. 2 that the closed ends 3B of the heating elements are adjacent the iront flange i@ of the griddle to radiate heat directly on the front flange. The connections 29 between the elements are at the rear ends of the elements so that back guard plate 2id' is heated only by conduction. This is usually satisfactory in griddles as the griddle sections are made narrow to prevent any warping which might be due to the front and back running cooler than the sides and center. However, as before mentioned, extraheat for the front flange i6 and back guard plate 2d can be provided by having additional elements and hoods directly on the flange I6 and guard plate I8 in the manner in which the side flange His equipped.

A thermostatic control for the griddle may be provided by clamping the bulb of a liquid expansion Ithermostat to the hood-forming meinber 2| between the elements or by welding a bimetallic thermostatic strip to one of the flanges on the hood member 2|. The temperature control device must be very responsive because the temperature of a thin heating surface, such as the surface l5, may rise very fast and a sluggish thermostat would not be effective in providing close temperature control.

The connections between the spaced heating elements may be by Way of theinsulated wires 2d welded to the ends of the elements, or this connection may be made by welding the ends of the element ribbons 25 and 26 together and securing them in grooved porcelain insulators.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, there is illustrated an oven 40 having a top wall di, a bottom wall 42, a rear wall d3, and a front insulated door te hinged for swinging movement as at d5. A heating device 46, like the heating device of Fig. 1, of proper size may be installed on the bottom l2 of the oven, as shown in Fig. 3. When used in an oven, however, the side flange l of the griddle is placed in the front of the oven. A second heating device 47 may be installed in the top of the oven in inverted position. It is to be noted that the anges Il in the front are both equipped with the extra hoods 3| enclosing heating elements. In addition the hoods 22 adjacent the front of the oven are spaced relatively close together, just as in the griddle installation. With this arrangement loss of heat adjacent the oven door is compensated for and it is possible to bake satisfactorily directly behind the oven door. As a matter of fact, uniform browning can be obtained in any position within the oven. lThe side walls and back of the oven do not operate as hot as the top and bottom plates, but this does not affect the browning of baked goods appreciably because ovens are built relatively low and most of the baking is done by heat radiated from the top and bottom. However, elements may readily be arranged along the side walls of the oven in any installation where this might 'be considered desirable.

In an oven installation, in lieu of inserting the separate heating devices 46 and M, the top and bottom linings 4| and 42 of the oven may be ernployed in lieu of the heating plates 55. In this case the hood-forming members 2| will be secured to the lower side of the wall 42 by welding and to the upper side of the wall 4l, and also to a vertical flange similar to the flange il and located back of the door. The hoods would then be surrounded by the heat insulating material the oven walls.

As indicated in Fig. 3, and in the wiring dia gram of Fig. l2, there is separate thermostatic control for the top heating device el and the bottom heating device 36. This control includes a bulb 45 of a liquid expansion thermostat de the top heating device 41, and a bulb dil of a liquid expansion thermostat 5| for the bottom heating device 45. These bulbs Lli and 5d are preferably secured adjacent one of the hoods illustrated. This separate thermostatic control for the top and bottom of the oven provides for close control of top and bottom browning in the oven. It is practical only because the lightweight heating elements and relatively thin metal used in the plates I5 and hood-forming members anarco 2i respond quickly to temperature changes. I-Ieretofore it has been necessary to use relatively thick metal which holds its heat a long time. Automatic control of browning has therefore not been practical.

The close temperature control in the oven of the present invention, together with the features which provide for even heat distribution from the front to rear, make possible a control of uniformity in browning never before approached. Furthermore, in the oven of the present invention the thin metal of the heating devices will change from one temperature to another quickly in response to new temperature settings.

Referring to Fig. 5, a modified heating device arrangement is illustrated. In this device the heating surface is the plate di which is formed with element-enclosing ccrrugations heating elements llt, identical to the elements of Fig. 9, are placed on edge in the hoods 53. plate 55, which may be welded to the top plate 52 between corrugations, holds the elements in at the bottom. This type of 'nstallation is particularly desirable where a large heating area is necessary and may be employed in oil heaters or in the bottom of fry kettles. In this type of installation the bottom plate d2 may be clamped in position instead of welded, because the heat radiated downward is less than one-quarter of the heat radiated directly to the heating surface. An asbestos pad may also be use:A in place of the metal plate 5.5.

In order to concentrate still more heat in a given space, the modification of 6 be employed wherein the corrugations E3 are of double height to accommodate two heatingelements Ell placed on edge.

For high heat concentrations on griddles or hot plates the arrangement of Fig.k il may he desirable. In this form of the invention there is a heating plate E@ having a plurality of dip-pershaped hoods welded thereto as at The flange of each hood is overlapped by the adjacent hood and @verlies the heating element 60 therein. W ith this arrangement all of the heat from the heating element @d is absorbed by the hoods and by the flanges of the hoods and is conducted into the hot plate iid through the welds. This construction permits the use of a greater' number of the elements in series for high voltage on ovens or griddles. The hoods may also ce shaped to accommodate elements which are positioned on edge as in Fig. 5.

The heat conducting hoods maire possible the application of radiant elements to thin griddle's and the like, without the use of heavy heat insulation, which absorbs heat and prevents accurate temperature control.

frleat treating furnaces, as for exanr le those used for' aluminum, may be built similar to Fig. 3 with such modications as be necessary to take care of higher temperatures. Ovens may also be built with elements extending from the front to back, with wider spacing in the center, and with an element from side to side along the flange back of the door. This would used in small ovens for domestic purposes.

Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and all of such changes are contemplated as may come within the scope of the claims,

What I claim is:

l. In an oven having top and bottom walls and having a door, plates adapted to be heated ivi? ine

Aat 1 UJI oli

positioned adjacent the top and bottom walls of the oven, a flange on the front of each plate adjacent an edge of the oven door, a plurality of elongated electric heating elements extending in spaced relation and positioned between the top plate and the top wall of the oven and between the bottom plate and the bottom wall of the oven, there also being a heating element positioned adjacent the inner surface of each front flange and extending parallel thereto, and spaced elongated metal hoods for receiving and holding said heating elements in position adjacent the plates and flanges.

2. In an oven having an oven chamber therein and having a door, a metal plate adapted to |be heated and forming one of the horizontal walls of the oven chamber, a flange on the front of said plate directly behind the oven door, a plurality of elongated electric heating elements extending in spaced relation and positioned adjacent the side of said plate which faces away from the oven chamber', a heating element positioned behind said front ange, metal hoods covering said plurality of electric heating elements and secured to the plate, and a similar metal hood covering the front flange heating element and secured to said flange, said last-mentioned hood facing toward the flange.

3. In an oven having an oven chamber therein and having a door, a metal plate adapted to be heated and forming one 0f the horizontal walls of the oven chamber, a flange on the front of said plate directly behind the oven door, a plurality of elongated electric heating elements extending in spaced relation transversely of the depth of the oven and positioned adjacent the side of said plate winch faces away from the oven chamber, a heating element positioned behind said front flange, metal hoods covering said plurality of electric heating elements and secured to the plate, and a similar metal hood covering the front flange heating element and secured to said flange, said last-mentioned hood facing toward the flange.

4. In an oven having an oven chamber therein and having a door hinged at its lower edge, a plate adapted to be heated and forming one of the horizontal walls of the oven chamber, a flange on the front of said plate directly behind the hinged portion of the door, a pluralty of elongated electric heating elernents extending in spaced relation and positioned adjacent the side of said plate which faces away from the oven chamber, there also being a heating element positioned behind said front flange, metal hoods covering said plurality of heating elements and secured to the plate and a similar metal hood covering the front flange heating element and secured to said flange, said last-mentioned hood facing toward the nange.

5. In an oven having an oven chamber therein and having a door, metal plates forming the top and bottom walls of said oven chamber, a flange on the front of each plate directly behind the oven door, a plurality of elongated electric heating elements extending in spaced relation and positioned adjacent the side of each plate which faces away from the oven chamber, there also being a heating element positioned behind each front flange, metal hoods covering the heating elements and secured to the plates, and a similar metal hood covering each front flange heating element and secured to said flanges, said last-mentioned hoods facing toward 'the flanges.

6. In an oven having an oven chamber therein and having a door hinged at its lower edge, a plate adapted to be heated and forming a bottom wall of the oven chamber, a flange extending along the front edge of said plate adjacent the inner side of the hinged portion of the door, electric heating means positioned adjacent the lower surface of said plate, electric heating means positioned adjacent the inner surface of said front flange, and means for directing substantially all of the heat from said front ilange heating means to said front flange.

7. In an oven having an oven chamber therein and having a door hinged at its lower edge, a plate adapted to be heated and forming a bottom wall of the oven chamber, a flange extending along the front edge of said plate adjacent the inner side of the hinged portion of the door, electric heating means positioned adjacent the lower surface of said plate, heating means positioned adjacent the inner surface of said front flange, and a hood covering the front flange heating means and secured to said flange, said hood facing the flange.

y8. In an oven having an oven chamber therein and having a door hinged at its lower edge, a plate adapted to be heated and forming a bottom wall of the oven chamber, a, flange extending along the front edge of said plate adjacent the inner side of the hinged portion of the door, a plurality of elongated electric heating elements extending in spaced relation and positioned adjacent the lower surface of said plate, an elongated electric heating element adjacent the inner surface of said front iiange and extending parallel thereto, metal hoods covering said plurality of heating elements and secured to the plate, and a metal hood covering the front fiange heating element and secured to said flange, said last-mentioned hood facing toward the flange.

9. In an oven having an oven chamber therein and having a door hinged at its lower edge, a

plate adapted to be heated and forming a top wall of the oven chamber, a ange extending along the front of said plate directly inwardly of and adjacent the upper edge of the door, a plurality of elongated electric heating elements extending in spaced relation and positioned adjacent said plate, an elongated heating element positioned adjacent the inner surface of said front flange and extending parallel thereto, metal hoods covering said plurality of heating elements and secured to the plate, and a metal hood covering the front flange heating elements and secured to said flange, said last-mentioned nood facing toward the flange,

10, In an oven having an oven chamber therein having a door hinged at its lower edge, a plate adapted to be heated and forminga top wall of the oven chamber, a flange extending along the iront of said plate directly inwardly of and adjacent the upper edge of the door, electric heating means positioned adjacent a surface of said plate, electric heating means positioned adjacent the inner surface of said front ange, and means for directing substantially all of the heat from said front flange heating means to said front flange.

HAROLD N. SHAW.

REFERENCES CTED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,019,780 Gough Nov. 5, 1935 2,035,757 Ottenstein Mar. 31, 1936 1,110,532 Byce Sept. l5, 1914 759,909 Pelton May 17, 1904 2,199,650 Price May 7, 1940 2,224,552 Sickinger Dec, l0, 1940 1,967,184 Clapp et al July 17, 

